Alexander Butterfield, the Nixon aide who disclosed Watergate tapes, dies at 99
Alexander Butterfield, the Nixon aide who disclosed Watergate tapes, dies at 99
WASHINGTON — Alexander Butterfield, a former White House assistant who unintentionally accelerated Richard Nixon’s resignation by revealing the existence of the Oval Office and Cabinet Room taping system, has passed away at the age of 99. His wife, Kim, and John Dean, Nixon’s White House counsel during the Watergate crisis, confirmed his death. Dean recounted that Butterfield “had the burden of exposing something he was bound by secrecy to protect,” referring to the president’s covert listening devices and recording equipment. “He stood up and told the truth,” Dean added.
Secret Taping System
As a deputy assistant to the president, Butterfield managed the taping system, which included voice-activated devices installed in four key locations: Nixon’s office in the Executive Office Building, the presidential retreat at Camp David, and the Oval Office. He maintained that only a select few, including H.R. Haldeman, his assistant, and several Secret Service agents, were aware of the setup. “All conversations were recorded whenever the president was present,” he testified under oath during an initial interview with Watergate investigators.
“I knew what was on these tapes … they’re dynamite,” Butterfield remarked to the Nixon Library. “I guess I couldn’t conceive of (Nixon) being forced out of office. It had never happened before.”
Butterfield’s testimony, delivered on July 13, 1973, prompted a public hearing that unveiled the taping system on July 16, 1973. This revelation shocked both Nixon’s allies and adversaries, as it offered investigators a wealth of evidence to uncover the president’s involvement in the 1972 Democratic Party headquarters burglary. The tapes, once secured, would expose Nixon’s personal views and actions, including his volatile temperament, racially charged remarks, and assessments of political figures.
Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974, less than a month after the Supreme Court mandated he release the relevant tapes to the Watergate special prosecutor. Butterfield believed his disclosure played a critical role in the president’s downfall. “I didn’t like to be the cause of that, but I felt that I was,” he said in a 2008 oral history for the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.
Butterfield, who had served Nixon from 1969 to 1973, was initially an Air Force veteran before becoming FAA administrator. His career shift occurred after Senate investigators questioned him privately in 1973, following John Dean’s testimony about possible taped conversations. The subsequent public hearing marked a turning point in the scandal’s unraveling. The legal dispute over access to the tapes lasted nearly a year, culminating in the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in July 1974.
Following his tenure at the FAA, Butterfield transitioned to a business career in California. He later earned a master’s degree, though the article does not specify the field. His legacy remains tied to the Watergate tapes, which are now preserved by the National Archives, offering an unfiltered glimpse into Nixon’s presidency.